The call of the ocean
by LuMar014
Summary: Frosted Nature AU (Jack FrostxEmily Jane Pitchiner/Mother Nature). After crossing the raging seas, Emily Jane arrives to her new home, hoping for a happier life with her estranged father. But things don't turn out quite as expected. Can she survive her fate or is something more terrible awaiting for her?


Here is a frosted nature piece for this spooky season of Halloween. Please, check out Joshua Figueroa's version for "Once upon a December" (watch it on youtube). It inspired this story! Enjoy!

Warning: blood and overall sadness

* * *

_1759 – Somewhere in the Atlantic Ocean_

The storm raged against the large galleon, making it almost seem like a piece of driftwood in the middle of the mighty ocean. The vessel was rocking back and forth but the young woman that inhabited the spacious cabin felt that the storm felt irrelevant compared to the piece of news that had shaken the very foundations of her world.

Until now, the woman that sat in front of here had worn the same disdainful expression when she had been introduced as her lady-in-waiting. She had done nothing but complain of the unsatisfactory accommodations (although the lavish cabin was the very definition of luxury), how rude the crew had been towards a lady of her social standard, and – and this was her favorite subject to complain about – how Emily Jane Pitchiner was such an unruly and spoiled brat.

Now her thin lips were curled into a pompous sneer, relishing in having the upper hand in their veiled battle with her young charge. Tapping her fingers against the polished wooden table as they forced to bear the other's presence during their meals, she now looked like the cat that had the mouse trapped under its paw.

"You're lying." Her own voice seemed so foreign, each word struggling to go past her throat.

"I assure you, my dear." She scoffed with emphasis in the mock-pet name and handing her a neatly folded letter. "That it is very much true."

Emily recognized instantly the neat and striking penmanship, her eyes scanning over and over the contents of the missive.

No. It couldn't be.

He promised that this wouldn't happen.

He had promised that she would never part without her consent.

Even after years of him leaving away to the colonies and their estrangement, she still believed that her father was a man of his word.

Her whole body was seized by uncontrollable shakes, like she had been plunged into freezing water. Her hand balled into a fist and crumbled the parchment, wishing that she could do more substantial damage to whatever she could get her hands on.

How dare he do this to her!

Emily was getting dizzy. Suddenly, the air inside the cabin was too thin and the walls seemed to be closing in on her. The triumphant sneer of the older woman was making her want to throw up.

Before she did something as stupid as fainting – which she thought utterly ridiculous and overly dramatic – she turned around and run out of the room without heeding the old valet's calls to get her back inside.

The letter now laid forgotten on the wooden floor, her father's signature carved out in prominent and sharp black traces among the whiteness of the paper.

Emily busted onto the main deck, completely disoriented and unsuccessfully trying to shake out of her stupor.

The wind inflated the white sails as the storm was picking up speed. It hadn't started raining yet, but lightning was already traversing the heavily clouded dark sky with the thunder not far behind.

Tears were prickling her eyes, making the whole world blurry.

Doing her best to stabilize herself, she held fast to the wooden railing of the main deck.

She ignored any glares or muttering from the crew around her, who were busying themselves with tying everything down and securing all the cargo. They had been hostile towards her from the beginning, murmuring that women were bad luck on a ship when they thought her back was turned. If they weren't complaining because of her presence, they were eyeing her up and down or whistling at her whenever she took a stroll around the deck to enjoy the sun.

She hadn't bothered to care for their opinions, but right now it made her conscious of how utterly alone she was. Her tutor – a short, plump man by the name of Sanderson – had not been allowed to accompany her and her maid Katherine had been seasick almost since the trip began (at least sneaking out to take care of the poor girl had been a fantastic excuse to get away from that old hag).

Small droplets of sea water splashed her face whenever a wave crashed against the ship, but she couldn't care less.

The wind was howling so much that only then she allowed the tears to come out. Emily covered her mouth with her hand to muffle her pitiful sobs, heart stuttering as she remembered each word of the letter and the decisive weight they held over her destiny.

Why? Why was he doing this to her after leaving with a promise to never force her into anything she didn't want? After promising her a better life with him as a real family, away from the oppressive house in London, and from the bitter memory of her mother's death?

She gasped for air as the tightness in her chest built up, giving way to another bout of sobs.

She looked onto the dark blue water, feeling her tears drip down and getting lost among the immense mass of the ocean.

She wished she could do the same: get lost and disappear so the world would leave her alone and stop smothering her with all its responsibilities.

"Ye shouldn't be crying in the ocean, lassie." A gruff voice said among the foggy mist that surrounded her thoughts, startling her and making her heart jump out of her throat when she turned around and there was a man practically towering over her lithe frame.

The sailor was in his late fifties, wearing clothes that had seen better days and had been patched several times. He was smiling at her through dirty teeth and wolfish eyes. Almost like enjoying an inner joke she was not aware of.

Emily did her best to suppress the chill that run down her back, feeling the cold grip of growing unease on her heart.

"What-?" She barely choked out before he was speaking again.

"People shouldn't cry when out at sea. The ocean can read yer heart." His grin was nothing short of manic. "Yer woes call to whatever is out there. You never know what can come out of the water"

Emily stepped back, her back hitting the wood railing and leaving her trapped as the sailor loomed over her, feeling she wanted to vomit from the fear and disgust that was twisting in her stomach.

In a normal situation, she would have giving this man a piece of her mind, but right now her courage and wit seemed to have abandoned her.

"It will come out and swallow ye whole" he extends his hand to grab her arm, sickening grin still plastered on his face.

"Poole!" A voice bellowed, snapping her out of her panicked daze.

Her head whipped toward the direction of the voice, seeing a large and burly man staring down the man he had just addressed as Poole.

Emily recognized him from the brief introduction the captain of the ship had giving her and her lady-in-waiting when they first boarded the ship.

Nicholas… Nicholas St…

Damnation! She couldn't recall the rest of his name. He was the boatswain and in her strolls she had seen him relaying orders from the chief mate and the captain.

"If you are done playing around, you can make yourself useful securing everything in cargo hold." He barked with a strict harsh tone, making Poole grimace in disdain.

"Take care, lassie" Poole added before disappearing into the bowels of the ship, her eyes following every step he take to make sure of his retreat.

She turned to now look at the old man with the long white beard, who was disapprovingly eyeing her up and down.

She probably must look like a horrid apparition with her damp hair escaping from the ribbons that held it up, eyes red and swollen, and tears rolling down her cheeks.

"Thank you", she said above the storm to try to make the awkward situation dissipate.

"Deck is not safe" He curtly answered in his thick accent as if he were scolding a disobedient child. "Please go back to your cabin"

She nodded, gathering her sodden skirts to make sure not to trip with the rich fabric.

A large splash made her turn her face towards the dark roaring waters bellow, chastising herself for thinking for a second that the large distorted shape that she saw was more than probably just a school of fishes or debris.

Quickly entering the refuge of her cabin, she pressed herself against the wooden door as she felt like her strength had been robbed out of her bones and making her wish to hide under the covers and never come out.

She managed to get through the maid helping her out of the elaborate dress and corset, and into a soft nightgown.

The storm continued to rage outside, now unleashing the torrential rain that had been holding back.

Although she thought it unlikely, she closed her eyes, willing herself to let sleep to find her.

* * *

Emily Jane Pitchiner was right about her predictions: sleep came in short lapses, like the rise and ebb of the tide.

The sound of the rain against the windows on her cabin did nothing to sooth her.

Tossing and turning to find the right position, she was only able to sleep for a little bit before waking up again – each time becoming more tired when passing from one state to the other.

Her sleep-deprived mind was muddled and playing tricks on her. She could almost swear she had seen a monstrous figure through her eyelashes; almost hear the scratch of claws against the wood and the glass as the "monster" tried to force its way in. But every time she woke up and looked at the window she saw nothing.

Despite this, the oppressing feeling of uneasiness did not leave her when the day broke and the stormed moved away.

And it would not even leave her when reaching land.

* * *

Her hopes to see her father waiting for her at the port were instantly dashed.

Only a grim looking footman was there to receive them and cart them off into a carriage, Lady Margaret's smile widening at seeing Emily's poorly concealed disappointment.

Heavens above, Emily could not wait to finally be ridden of her annoying presence!

The house was located in the middle of the extensive state and far away from the town. Once she was able to catch a glimpse at the magnificent large house, her spirits lightened a little.

The servants were already lined up at the entrance to greet them.

Mrs. Fraser, the house keeper, looked like a woman who expected things to be done her way and Emily noticed she did not quite appreciate having a young woman as head of the household to answer to.

Everyone's eyes were on her – the mysterious daughter that their master had decided to leave behind in England – and it made her skin prickle as she followed the house keeper around the many elegantly decorated rooms.

Her father was nowhere to be seen.

On a business trip had been the only answer Emily had managed to ply out of the stern old house keeper.

The days crawl by slowly. Meals are a rather silent affair since all conversations attempt are met with belittling snide remarks from Lady Margaret.

The servants barely spoke to her and she knew no one in town.

She had found refuge among her books and by walking through the private beach that extended bellow the hill where the house rested, the roaring ocean was the only sound that was able to overpower her thoughts.

The young woman had the misfortune of meeting her fiancée before she was prepared to face him.

* * *

Admiral Victor Morden was in his forties and was a naval officer in charge of several ships. He had gotten quite an ill-reputation among the locals for his treatment of prisoners and the pirates he was able to capture – each rumor sending a chill down her spine. She wouldn't even treat animals so cruelly.

He had appeared in her house out of nowhere and without a formal invitation, sauntering through the rooms as if he already considered the house his – which vexed her almost instantly.

Her discomfort only grew when she had to bear his ravenous gaze run up and down her figure throughout dinner as she played hostess. Each word directed to her person were a carefully crafted vision of her future under this man and how little input she had on the matter. With every passing minute, Emily was having a harder time to hide her distaste for him.

Emily's heart dropped to her stomach when Lady Margaret left them alone in the study claiming she needed to lie down as she had a headache.

How dare she leave her alone with that merciless man?

She had tried to be rid of him but all her senses had been on alert when he had her cornered against the library, clearly enjoying having power over her.

He smiled after catching her hand that had flown towards his cheek when one of his disgusting comments had made her lose her patience. He tightened his grip with such strength that she knew it would leave bruises on her skin.

"I will enjoy teaching you some manners once we are married, little dove." His hand wove through her hair possessively, making her skin crawl.

She managed to extricate herself out when oncoming steps disrupted the admiral's focus. Mrs. Fraser had entered the room and "advised" (more like chastised) Emily to go to bed.

The young woman had never been more willing to oblige.

Within the sanctuary of her locked room, she finally let the tears run free, shivering with disgust at the memory of those horrible hands on her skin.

How could her father promise her to such a beast?

Everything about her felt wrong now. Her life, her new home, her feelings, her very skin felt wrong.

Emily tried to calm herself that once her father returned she would change his mind about the engagement.

But the battle was lost the moment the lord of the manor returned home.

* * *

"How could you do that?" She asked, her voice a mix of desperation, confusion and anger, now truly feeling like a cornered animal.

Emily turned around to face her father, his tall gaunt figure framed by the candlelight. His gaze was impassive as he looked over her, his eyes dull and cold.

He had arrived in the middle of dinner, amidst a rainy and stormy night, startling her and her lady-in-waiting.

His was not the warm reception she had awaited for so long. He had been distant and rather taciturn with his replies. It had shaken her to her very core.

Emily had managed to get him to see her in the studio to talk about her oncoming engagement. She had presented him with all her arguments and tried to make him see that such a union was truly unsuitable.

With each passing minute, her composure grew thin as the despair slowly seized her heart. In the end, she had exploded at him.

"Please don't make me do this." Emily Jane insisted, pleaded. She clasped her hands together, clutching them to her chest. "There has to be another way!"

"Are you done?" His voice was clipped and dispassionate.

She fought back the tears that were threatening to overtake her. "I will not marry him!", she said defiantly.

"Enough!" He snapped, slamming his hand against the oak desk, making her flinch and her blood run cold. He had never raised his voice at her before. "I have had enough of your nonsense"

He towered over her now, making her feel small and insignificant. She had never imagined that her father could ever scare her like this.

"I need his money to maintain our home and he needs a wife." He said in a low voice, his bruising grip of her chin doing nothing to mask the threat and causing her breath to catch. "It's a done deal. You will do as you're told and you will do it with a smile."

He was not being kind, he was not caring. They were no traces of that old affection for her in those eyes.

She weakly backed away, biting her lip to hold back the scream that got stuck in her throat. Her head spun.

The last person she had devotedly loved and admired was no longer in her corner.

She had never felt more alone.

* * *

Emily Jane run as fast as her feet could take her across the beach, not caring to swipe away from her face her damp hair that the rain and the wild wind had forced out of the pins from her bun.

The cold rain of October was making her shiver like a leaf, making her dress heavy, but she kept running.

She had dashed out of the studio, pass the gardens and beyond the granite stairs that led to the beach, her father's voice muffled by the thunder and her on heartbeat in her ears.

Her vision was blurry due to the tears; the world turning into a dizzying kaleidoscope around her.

She ran and continued running until a rock jutting out of the sand made her stumble to the sandy wet shore, her tongue tasting the salty water that touched the sand. A flash of pain erupted from her palms as the small sharp stones and seashells cut into her when she was trying to stop her fall.

Emily looked at her feet. Her right shoe lay on the ground, broken beyond repair. In a burst of anger she snatched the remaining shoe from her left foot and hurled it as far away as she could.

The scream that had been trapped in her chest for so long finally escaped from her lips, feeling the deserted beach with a melancholic and furious sound that would have put any banshee to shame.

She screamed until she was out of air and her throat hurt.

Emily's muscles were sore and strained from her mad race, refusing to take her further.

She covered her face, unable to stop the gut-wrenching sobs that came out of her.

She felt hollow. Lost. Drained.

And she was probably starting to go mad, for she swore she could hear a voice.

That broke her out of her sorrowful reverie. A voice…singing? In the middle of a storm?

Emily stood up, rubbing her hands up and down her arms to bring back the sensation to them and hearing intently to distinguish the sound above the waves and the thunder.

She wasn't imagining things. Someone was singing. It sounded so…beautiful.

The young girl continued to walk towards a cluster of huge rocks, no longer heeding the strain of her muscles.

The voice came from behind the barrier that was close to the little cavern she had discovered during her afternoon strolls.

The closer she got, the more she was able to make out the music.

The voice was definitely from a man.

She waded into the water, the cold liquid licking her ankles. Whoever was singing behind the rocks must be farther out on the water instead of taking refuge inside the cave.

The song wrapped around her; making her forget about her surroundings, about the cold. It made her put one foot in front of the other.

It sounded so…sorrowful and lonely.

Emily pushed away from her mind any other though. She had to know who was singing.

Resting her hand to stabilize her weight against the rocks, she continued. Now the water reached way past her knees.

The singing was loud and clear now, his voice warming over her like a balm.

She turned around the corner and gasped at what she saw.

Sat upon a rock was a young man. His white hair shone with the moonlight – almost giving it a silvery appearance –, framing his face. His eyes were of the most breathtaking blue, a strange midpoint between the sky on a sunny day and the deepest ocean. His lean pale body was bare, but what truly shocked her, though, was the vibrant azure tail that was where his legs should be.

The young man suddenly stopped singing and looked at her in surprise.

Emily let out a squeak of shock and scrambled backwards, her movements slow and clumsy due to her heavy skirts.

She had to be dreaming. The cold had made her mad, most probably.

In a moment, he was there, only a few feet away and looking at her with inquisitive blue eyes.

"Hello, princess", his beautiful voice stole her breath from her lungs. The velvet sound made her slightly relax, though her heart was still beating fast against her chest. She blinked, missing the glint of his eyes and attributing it to a trick of the moonlight.

"H-hello", her hesitant voice sounded so far away to even herself.

"Did you hear me sing?" He asked with playfulness in his tone and gave her a wink.

"I'm so s-sorry." Emily squeaked, feeling a rush of heat tinge her cheeks. "I didn't meant to eavesdrop. I-"

He chuckled, making a pleasant shiver travel down her back.

"It's alright" He shushed her, his expression suddenly tinted by sadness. "It's just not often that people see me. I sing so I don't feel so alone."

"That's awful. You sing so beautifully." She felt a tight grip in her heart, recognizing the feeling of loneliness the man was describing.

She inched forward, her curiosity getting the best of her as she examined past him to sneak a peek of his lower body.

He giggled once more, lifting his tail for a better inspection. Emily's jaw slacked. It really was a tail and not some strange concoction of her imagination.

Maybe she had gone mad.

She was so entranced by his tail that she missed the wide smile full of sharp teeth.

"May I sing for you, princess?" He said averting his eyes in a shy gesture. "It's been so long since I've had company. Everyone tends to run when they see me" his beautiful face was momentarily marred by a frown from the memories.

"I would love to hear you sing", she assured him, smiling timidly.

'_Dancing bears, painted wings_

_Things I almost remember'_

He started his song once more, his voice washing over Emily and wrapping around her soothingly.

'_Someone holds me safe and warm_

_Horses prance through a silver storm'_

The moment he reached his hand out to her, the young woman took it without thinking twice. His touch was cold, but she was too entranced by his song and her deep blue eyes to register anything else.

His voice lulled her forward and Emily Jane complied, wandering further into the water.

His other hand started to gently caress her cheek, pushing away the tears that still were fresh.

'_Far away, long ago_

_Glowing dim as an ember'_

She barely noticed the icy water. All she could see or feel was the angel-like creature in front of her that was making her forget her engagement, about her father...

'_Things my heart, used to know_

_Things it yearns to remember'_

Her father. Emily frowned, her brain slightly disrupted from her haze. He seemed to sense it because he suddenly pulled her flush against him, running his fingers through her hair and singing with more intent. It immediately pulled her in again.

The moment the water hit her face, reality rushed to her mind.

Emily tried to pull away, but his arm was firmly wrapped around her waist. She looked down and screamed. His body was littered with scales, his hands ending in sharp claws.

The singing stopped and he jerked her towards him, pulling her hair to tilt her head back. His pupil was blown away, practically consuming all the blue of his eyes and making them look full of hunger.

"You promised you wouldn't run, princess.", he said in a teasing tone through a wicked smile, making her gasp at the sight of his sharp teeth.

How could she not have noticed it?

Emily struggled against him as he pressed his lips to hers and pulled both of them under the water, hitting and scratching in a blind panic. He didn't even seem to feel it.

She wrenched her face away from his, the water muffling her screams and filling her lungs.

"I have never felt so much sadness and despair from a human", he relished as he watched her struggle, his insides practically twisting with hunger. "You were like a beacon in the middle of the ocean. You made me starve for so long…you made me wait."

Emily Jane was starting to lose consciousness, her vision beginning to fade around the edges.

He pulled her hair further back, exposing the tender flesh of her neck.

"Sleep, princess." He whispered against her skin. "Your journey is over"

The last thing Emily Jane registered was the sharp pain of teeth ripping out her throat and the water turning red.

* * *

Hope you enjoyed a nice change of pace. I definitely felt inspired for this Halloween entry. Don't forget to R&R!


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